I had many small, and fuzzy, ideas of what to expect when I embarked on this journey in April. I knew what a cruise was about having been on a few before. I had traveled to Europe before and to some of the South Pacific too. But, really, I had no idea what this trip would mean to me and the growth it would provide.
We visited 25 ports on at least four continents (I don't know which continent the South Pacific Islands are on!!) each one rich with its own flavor and diversity. The number of countries visited was something like...maybe, 18. We had hot and not so hot and way beyond hot. Sunny and cloudy and drizzly. And a couple entire days of what we midwesterners would call "gullywashers"! Many days in the South Pacific were so humid there isn't a hairspray on the market to hold a curl through a minute of one of those days. Other days featured smothering heat so intense a bottle of water had no chance of staying cool between the ship gangway and the tour bus! We cruised Anzac Cove so filled with meaning for the Australians and New Zealanders. We floated through the basic and beautiful Suez Canal, so different from the technology laden Panama Canal. And we had 33 Sea Days, crossed the International Date Line twice, the Equator, went over lines of latitude and longitude regularly and turned our clocks back and forth obliterating our sense of what "normal" bedtime was and when breakfast should be. Not to be forgotten were the two weeks we were in "pirate" country...really! In 2013 real pirates are still a threat...so our ship had 24 hour security in place on all sides looking and watching for their boats and rocket launchers! Our security people examined all fishing boats that got too close.
Twenty-five ports and for me 23 tours or excursions...not counting our three cities in Italy. I missed Moorea in early May as I tried to recover from a virus and spent the day in bed. And of course, as Jeff told me later, I had missed the most beautiful of the South Pacific Islands! And I missed Mumbai, seeing it from the ship as I didn't possess a visa for India. Jeff's Seaman's Papers allowed him to get off the ship and wander and photograph that city.
We had rocky days and nights with high waves and full gale force winds as well as days when the seas were so flat that we could see the ship's shadow on the water and the occasional fish flipping out of the water if we happened to be looking in that right place at the right time. We had happy days of sunshine and meeting new friends, singing songs and telling stories. And we had sad days, when learning of a passenger who was taken off the ship.
Our best days had the highs...drinking wine and sharing stories of excursions gone wrong - or right -, winning at trivia, seeing something unexpected and stunning during a tour. Highs being touched by a piece of music or a beautiful chord at Pop Choir practice. A high seeing a surprisingly good photo during a photo review session in the evening after a tour. There were lows...dealing with cranky passengers, rude and uncaring. The guy who kicked the elevator; the women rating other women in bathing suits. There were missteps and revelations and in the end the wonders of those 75 days and nights seem genuinely unbelievable. We saw places most people see in books and can only dream of seeing in person. We walked in places most people can't imagine walking. We were privileged. We were cared for. We were in extraordinary places with professional people sharing their beloved countries and cities with us...we, visitors from a gifted yet so often under-appreciated country. Sometimes we wondered if asked, if we should fib and claim Canadian citizenship...especially in the Middle East and in Indonesia. (Of course, when asked we always said, "We're Americans".) We were gifted with wonderful treats along the way...coffee, candy, wine, dinners, souvenirs, DVD's, but most specially...friendships.
We bought some souvenirs, but not enough to give to each person in our families and to each friend. Our focus was on what we were experiencing, not on shopping. In the last few days we suddenly realized we hadn't purchased this or that for him or her or them, but of course, by then it was too late!
I ended this trip with 20 Euros and 10 Euro Cents...and about $93.35 in American Dollars! Thats an amazing fact after luggage overages and hundreds spent in mailing "stuff" home. I'm so thankful and have heartfelt gratefulness for the wonders of modern medicine that allowed me to have the series of knee injections prior to leaving in April; they worked and my knees carried me through most days without any problems or discomfort.
We were never fearful or worried about our safety, generally speaking. (I had my three anxiety attacks...one in Kuala Lumpur in the tower with the crowded conditions, one in Rome with the fireworks again in very crowded conditions, and the last on the plane from Florence to Rome when I was given the window seat with two people between me and the aisle. Jeff said to me, rather sternly, "Sorry...deal with it Mom". And I did...I focused on my breathing and grabbed my new book and started to read. Eventually, my breathing evened out. It was only an hour flight, I kept telling myself. I did feel on the edge of flipping out, but I made it through. Those were situations when I was worried but more on an internal very personal level.) Being with tour guides in large groups was strangely comfortable and safety wasn't a concern. Knowing that some of the countries we visited were undergoing unusual strife didn't worry us, but we were aware of the circumstances, for sure. In some cases the guides mentioned the political situations, but in very general terms, especially in Egypt and Turkey. We were specifically notified by the Captain in a personal note about where to go and what to avoid in Istanbul and the decision made to disembark there was left until late the night before we entered the port.
In a few cases we were reminded about clothing requirements and of course we complied. But we were reminded that not everyone understands "covered shoulders" and "covered knees"! And we were uncomfortable and more than a little embarrassed with those members of our groups.
We ticked off about 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which in itself is amazing. We agreed that the Valley of the Kings, Ancient Thebes and the Necropolis was the most incredible to see and also the most difficult - extreme conditions with heat and desert and distance. The Acropolis in Athens was sad to see and understand...Greece is having such severe financial difficulty and the ancient buildings are in great need of restorations with no end to Greece's problems in sight. Even in the Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, one can see the result of neglect with signage lacking and/or out of date. No country seems able to keep current and able to grasp the impressions left with visitors when neglect is evident and noticeable.
All in all a wonderful life-giving and life-changing series of experiences.
Overall Favorites? Um. The Greek island of Mytilene and all 3 million of its olive trees...and Italy's grace-filled and oh so charming, Assisi.
Favorite excursion? Dubai. The catamaran ride followed by High Tea at the Burj Al Arab Hotel...that sublime to ridiculous thing!
Most Extreme? The Valley of the Kings in Egypt. That was the longest trek to get there and then the hottest and oldest and hardest to grasp the time and place...so old and so beautiful.
Most Unreal with No Desire to Repeat? The Langkawi tour of the monument to Princess Mahsuri who was falsely accused of adultery. A 1950's feel of a 1918 happening with an occasional 2013 twist of techno-stuff in an overcrowded damp and very strange building with old colored fluorescent lighting of the worst kind. Tour ended in a grocery store with the leftover odor of lots of bare feet! Ick.
Most Photogenic? Rome and Assisi and Florence. One day Jeff took over 400 photographs. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul a close second as 4000 shops gave plenty of photo ops.
Best Feeling of Accomplishment? Two Choir Concerts! And, making the trek to and fro in Petra, Jordan.
Most Beautiful Port? Moorea. Ship docked in a small cove surrounded by palm trees and forested mountains...just breathtaking! Way in is through a small break in the reef.
Small Surprise? Finding a perfume I've been hunting for for about 6-7 years in a small perfumery in Papeete, Tahiti. Should have bought another bottle or two!
Big Surprise? Realizing that Pope Francis really was saying Mass in Saint Peter's when the priests and Eucharistic Ministers filed toward us to give us Communion! That was a real moment!
Best Happening? Meeting Jean and Belinda and Mick, Aussies on the first cruise...friends of Jeff's from many other cruises. Meeting Alan and Alana and Lyn, Mark and Vickie...friends of Jeff's from many other cruises. Having late night wine and chocolate with Alan, Alana and Lyn made every evening special and memorable. Making good friends is an unexpected travel treasure.
Happy Revelation? Tasting real coffee and chocolate in Naples courtesy of Alan and Alana...our last port with the tour guides we'd most like to have on our next adventure. They have been everywhere and share their gifts and knowledge freely with love and generous care.
I know I've missed a good many incidents and happenings, conversations and people to mention, but it's been such a full and rich journey. The one steady constant during the time I was away was JM, J Michael, Jeff. Always patient with a scatter-brained Mom, always a steady, confident traveler, always ready with a challenge or a laugh or a necessary hand to hold. This Mom is so blessed and so grateful for his companionship, his sense of humour, his clever wit, his smart brain, his generosity, his loving nature, and most of all for his patience. He was a charming companion, even when pushed to his edge. Thank you, Jeff, for your grace and care along the way on this journey...every Mom should have a son like you and the opportunity to know you and share your gifts...of voice, of dance, of photo, of wit, of adventure and of joy.
Of course the whole experience would not have been possible without the unquestioning support of a sweet and dear husband...oh, and hardworking too! He paid all my bills along the way! He answered my late night calls about this or that bank account or credit card. I absolutely forgive him for calling my Sea Princess room in the middle of the night. I had no idea if it was really 3 AM or 3 PM either! I thank Jack from the bottom of my heart for making so many of my wishes come true.
If you followed my adventure and mis-adventures I hope in some small way I inspired you to write, or blog, or travel a bit more, perhaps a little outside of your comfort zone. Just remember that life isn't a dress rehearsal. There's always a way to do what at first thought seems can't possibly be done. Thank you for sharing my journey with me...I'd love to hear from you and what you thought.
Email me at: sharonabeech@gmail.com
It's a wrap, people!
Oh...a few more quotes: "A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority, from his not having seen what is expected a man should see. The grand object of traveling is to see the shores of the Mediterranean." ... Samuel Johnson
"My heart is warm with the friends I make, And better friends I'll not be knowing;
Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take, No matter where it's going." ...Edna St. Vincent Millay, Travel
"Never a ship sails out of the bay
But carries my heart as a stowaway." ... Roselle Mercier Montgomery, The Stowaway
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
FRIDAY, JULY 5, 2013. FLORENCE, ITALY...OUR LAST DAY OF ADVENTURE!
I just can't believe that our odyssey has come to an end. The time has gone so quickly...it has really flown by. Some thoughts on all of that later.
Today was our last tour...a self tour of the Academia Gallery especially to see "David" and then the Ponte Vecchio Palace Museum. I must confess that I'm weary and all frescoes and mosaics and marble busts are beginning to look alike. Never the less I put one foot in front of the other and off we go, skipping another long line to stand in a shorter queue to get to see David. And it's pretty amazing. There are a huge number of Davids throughout the city from tiny ones for sale for a couple of euros to the fake one in the piazza to the real one which is very beautiful. So we spend our morning looking and oohing over more old rooms, tapestries, frescoes, statues and of course, a few more chapels. I couldn't begin to know the names and recount all the churches and chapels we've seen on this trip! From tiny humble churches in the South Pacific Islands to the largest grandest in Rome and Florence...and everything in between.
After a nap by both of us, Jeff goes off in the afternoon to hunt for more photo ops and I choose to stay behind to pack up and review all our flights and travel plans for tomorrow. I also want time to just think ...and finish a fat book I've been reading since I plucked it out of the Free Bin in the ship's library...a 600 page whopper of a book by Australian author, Di Morrissey called THE VALLEY. I don't have room for it to come home with me and I've since picked up another freebie in our Assisi Hotel...somewhat smaller at about 350 pages. I'd like to start this new one called Cold Shoulder, a murder mystery.
We never get to have dinner out our last night, but Jeff has brought back cannolis for us and we have a little pastry fest while finishing packing and untangling some wacky travel snafus discovered at the last minute.
We set our wake up call for an ungodly time of 3:30 am, our taxi pick up for 4:30 am to meet our prearranged driver at 5:00 am...and none of those is a normal time! We end up on an empty street in the middle of the night! Jeff manages to free a couple of chairs from their overnight chains and we sit and chat in the dim light of a hotel about our adventures. Little did we know what was to come!
Once at the airport we check in for our Alitalia flight from Florence to Rome. Every bag is overweight except mine! This is a first for me. So we jockey stuff around and end up paying 60€ in overage fees and to have two bags saran-wrapped together to make "one" at the suggestion of the Alitalia clerk...the Saran wrapping costs an additional 10€! When we land in Rome, that bag is missing! Jeff is frantic because his three hard drives are in that bag with all of his music, and every photo he's taken not only for this trip, but every trip for the last five years. It's basically his life in that bag. So we wait and wait and wait ...for more than an hour and Jeff struggles to understand how one bag of six submitted all together at the same time can go missing. Finally we pray to Saint Anthony, who has been very overworked by us on this trip. As we stand looking at a totally empty carousel, up pop his pink saran wrapped bags! Well done, St. Anthony!
But wait! Now we have to check in for our flights to the US. And now it's almost 10:30...no breakfast yet and we have to lug the luggage to another terminal for checking in again...JM at Alitalia and me at AerLingus. Those lines are probably more than 100 people long...and we take a minute to say goodbye because he has to go to another part of the terminal. A hug and kiss and off we go...separated by the airlines after 75 days!
We are headed home...or at least I am. If my cell phone still works when I land at JFK in about an hour, I'll find out if Jeff made it. I'll spend the night at a nearby hotel and fly to Raleigh in the morning.
Our final thoughts and blog when the dust clears...
Today was our last tour...a self tour of the Academia Gallery especially to see "David" and then the Ponte Vecchio Palace Museum. I must confess that I'm weary and all frescoes and mosaics and marble busts are beginning to look alike. Never the less I put one foot in front of the other and off we go, skipping another long line to stand in a shorter queue to get to see David. And it's pretty amazing. There are a huge number of Davids throughout the city from tiny ones for sale for a couple of euros to the fake one in the piazza to the real one which is very beautiful. So we spend our morning looking and oohing over more old rooms, tapestries, frescoes, statues and of course, a few more chapels. I couldn't begin to know the names and recount all the churches and chapels we've seen on this trip! From tiny humble churches in the South Pacific Islands to the largest grandest in Rome and Florence...and everything in between.
After a nap by both of us, Jeff goes off in the afternoon to hunt for more photo ops and I choose to stay behind to pack up and review all our flights and travel plans for tomorrow. I also want time to just think ...and finish a fat book I've been reading since I plucked it out of the Free Bin in the ship's library...a 600 page whopper of a book by Australian author, Di Morrissey called THE VALLEY. I don't have room for it to come home with me and I've since picked up another freebie in our Assisi Hotel...somewhat smaller at about 350 pages. I'd like to start this new one called Cold Shoulder, a murder mystery.
We never get to have dinner out our last night, but Jeff has brought back cannolis for us and we have a little pastry fest while finishing packing and untangling some wacky travel snafus discovered at the last minute.
We set our wake up call for an ungodly time of 3:30 am, our taxi pick up for 4:30 am to meet our prearranged driver at 5:00 am...and none of those is a normal time! We end up on an empty street in the middle of the night! Jeff manages to free a couple of chairs from their overnight chains and we sit and chat in the dim light of a hotel about our adventures. Little did we know what was to come!
Once at the airport we check in for our Alitalia flight from Florence to Rome. Every bag is overweight except mine! This is a first for me. So we jockey stuff around and end up paying 60€ in overage fees and to have two bags saran-wrapped together to make "one" at the suggestion of the Alitalia clerk...the Saran wrapping costs an additional 10€! When we land in Rome, that bag is missing! Jeff is frantic because his three hard drives are in that bag with all of his music, and every photo he's taken not only for this trip, but every trip for the last five years. It's basically his life in that bag. So we wait and wait and wait ...for more than an hour and Jeff struggles to understand how one bag of six submitted all together at the same time can go missing. Finally we pray to Saint Anthony, who has been very overworked by us on this trip. As we stand looking at a totally empty carousel, up pop his pink saran wrapped bags! Well done, St. Anthony!
But wait! Now we have to check in for our flights to the US. And now it's almost 10:30...no breakfast yet and we have to lug the luggage to another terminal for checking in again...JM at Alitalia and me at AerLingus. Those lines are probably more than 100 people long...and we take a minute to say goodbye because he has to go to another part of the terminal. A hug and kiss and off we go...separated by the airlines after 75 days!
We are headed home...or at least I am. If my cell phone still works when I land at JFK in about an hour, I'll find out if Jeff made it. I'll spend the night at a nearby hotel and fly to Raleigh in the morning.
Our final thoughts and blog when the dust clears...
Friday, July 5, 2013
THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2013. (Happy Independence Day USA!) FLORENCE, ITALY
Our tour today is just before sundown so our day was more leisurely, a good thing because I am really tired and my knees, back, and feet have just about reached their limit. Walking on the stone pavement all day has taken its toll. That tweak I mentioned some time back is still annoying and causing me to rely more on those naproxen. JM seems not to be bothered by it at all. He just keeps walking. Must be all that dance practice.
Breakfast at this hotel is a hoot. The first day at the super coffee machine that makes any concoction imaginable gave me a cup of frothy milk and one teaspoon of strong coffee...I think it was running low on something. But JM was able to make it work for a good cappuccino. Did you know that cappuccino is only to be had in the morning? Then it's proper to have the espressos and other fancy blends. If you ask for a cappuccino in the afternoon you get funny looks. But this hotel gives a wide variety of goodies to choose from starting at 7:30 until 9:30 each morning.
There are many different yogurts, white and whole wheat breads and a fancy toaster...butter and many jams to choose. Fresh fruit and a very cool orange juice machine. It's huge and gleaming stainless steel just like the toaster and the snazzy coffee maker. You simply put your glass under the spout and hit the "2" button. Two whole oranges roll into the machine which automatically cuts and squeezes the juice out of the oranges and into your glass. YUM! There is also a large bowl of fresh fruit cut and an assortment of pastries. All this is in addition to a nice selection of meats and cheeses, hard boiled eggs, and various cereals. The B&B in Rome provided that nice sandwich as a take along picnic lunch. And the hotel in Assisi gave us hot scrambled eggs as part of breakfast. But I think the Florence breakfast was the most complete and also featured the open terrace and garden which is so beautiful in the early morning.
So the rest of the morning and afternoon we spent wandering the area around the Duomo and managed a bit of shopping. We found a wonderful papery store with hand blocked stationery, including notepaper with very beautiful illuminations, paper replicas of Pinocchio, place cards and bookmarks...it was very hard to choose, but I managed to find a few things. We visited a similar store in Assisi, but that shop was run by the actual artist who did the printing. This shop in Florence has sister stores in New York, Palm Beach and Melbourne.
I left Jeff to take more steps than I was willing to...I saved my steps for our short Piazza Walk and Arno Tour later. We met at a shop near the Effuzi Museum at about 6:00. There were 13 of us including a group of four women from Leeds, UK, on holiday. They were very busy and had booked all kinds of cooking excursions and mountain drives in addition to this River tour. As we walked through the piazza with Ahmed, our guide, a large orchestra of teenaged players was rehearsing in the statuary area. It was fun to hear their bits and pieces of what their performance would be at some future time. Nothing was posted nearby giving details, but we hoped we'd have a chance to hear them. Of course, if JM recognized what was going to be played, he started singing, softly, as Ahmed was talking to us over the music.
We continued our walk down to the river and expected to see two or three nice boats, or one large boat for our outing...but NO. There was one little man with one pretty old looking gondola type flat bottomed wooden boat! He said we didn't need another boat, this one would do just fine...or something like that. At any rate there was no other boat in sight! And so he placed each of us in this dingy little dingy and away we went...no motor, just his long, long pole to push us down the river while Ahmed stood in the bow talking to us as we slipped under the Ponte Vecchio and down under another bridge or two. The whole "cruise" lasted about 40 minutes or less and was probably overpriced, but it was fun and we realized how much we missed sailing and the Sea Princess! We had prosecco to celebrate one of the Brits birthday...
We stopped and had pizza and pasta for dinner...no other options in this town...at a nice little outdoor cafe with no cover and no gratuity. Some restaurants charge one price for sitting outside, a little less for sitting inside, and yet less if you sit at the bar. It's a good idea to ask if there's a difference...for some there is not.
On our way back we encountered the orchestra, playing their program. They were very good and I even recorded one song, and I hope it transfers well for you to see and hear. (Sorry, it didn't.). This was a very nice day! Of course, any day with live music is a very nice day for us!
Breakfast at this hotel is a hoot. The first day at the super coffee machine that makes any concoction imaginable gave me a cup of frothy milk and one teaspoon of strong coffee...I think it was running low on something. But JM was able to make it work for a good cappuccino. Did you know that cappuccino is only to be had in the morning? Then it's proper to have the espressos and other fancy blends. If you ask for a cappuccino in the afternoon you get funny looks. But this hotel gives a wide variety of goodies to choose from starting at 7:30 until 9:30 each morning.
There are many different yogurts, white and whole wheat breads and a fancy toaster...butter and many jams to choose. Fresh fruit and a very cool orange juice machine. It's huge and gleaming stainless steel just like the toaster and the snazzy coffee maker. You simply put your glass under the spout and hit the "2" button. Two whole oranges roll into the machine which automatically cuts and squeezes the juice out of the oranges and into your glass. YUM! There is also a large bowl of fresh fruit cut and an assortment of pastries. All this is in addition to a nice selection of meats and cheeses, hard boiled eggs, and various cereals. The B&B in Rome provided that nice sandwich as a take along picnic lunch. And the hotel in Assisi gave us hot scrambled eggs as part of breakfast. But I think the Florence breakfast was the most complete and also featured the open terrace and garden which is so beautiful in the early morning.
So the rest of the morning and afternoon we spent wandering the area around the Duomo and managed a bit of shopping. We found a wonderful papery store with hand blocked stationery, including notepaper with very beautiful illuminations, paper replicas of Pinocchio, place cards and bookmarks...it was very hard to choose, but I managed to find a few things. We visited a similar store in Assisi, but that shop was run by the actual artist who did the printing. This shop in Florence has sister stores in New York, Palm Beach and Melbourne.
I left Jeff to take more steps than I was willing to...I saved my steps for our short Piazza Walk and Arno Tour later. We met at a shop near the Effuzi Museum at about 6:00. There were 13 of us including a group of four women from Leeds, UK, on holiday. They were very busy and had booked all kinds of cooking excursions and mountain drives in addition to this River tour. As we walked through the piazza with Ahmed, our guide, a large orchestra of teenaged players was rehearsing in the statuary area. It was fun to hear their bits and pieces of what their performance would be at some future time. Nothing was posted nearby giving details, but we hoped we'd have a chance to hear them. Of course, if JM recognized what was going to be played, he started singing, softly, as Ahmed was talking to us over the music.
We continued our walk down to the river and expected to see two or three nice boats, or one large boat for our outing...but NO. There was one little man with one pretty old looking gondola type flat bottomed wooden boat! He said we didn't need another boat, this one would do just fine...or something like that. At any rate there was no other boat in sight! And so he placed each of us in this dingy little dingy and away we went...no motor, just his long, long pole to push us down the river while Ahmed stood in the bow talking to us as we slipped under the Ponte Vecchio and down under another bridge or two. The whole "cruise" lasted about 40 minutes or less and was probably overpriced, but it was fun and we realized how much we missed sailing and the Sea Princess! We had prosecco to celebrate one of the Brits birthday...
We stopped and had pizza and pasta for dinner...no other options in this town...at a nice little outdoor cafe with no cover and no gratuity. Some restaurants charge one price for sitting outside, a little less for sitting inside, and yet less if you sit at the bar. It's a good idea to ask if there's a difference...for some there is not.
On our way back we encountered the orchestra, playing their program. They were very good and I even recorded one song, and I hope it transfers well for you to see and hear. (Sorry, it didn't.). This was a very nice day! Of course, any day with live music is a very nice day for us!
Thursday, July 4, 2013
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2013. ASSISI, ITALY TO FLORENCE, ITALY...TRAIN RIDE...
We pre bought our tickets to Florence yesterday while roaming around and JM dumpster dived and scrounged boxes so we could mail some stuff off to NC...to lighten our loads. Each of us dumped a pair of shoes...SOB...my Seibel German sandals are in the dustbin! So are three shirts and a blouse and a bag of shampoo, and various other lotions and potions accumulated along the way. My suitcase does feel a little lighter, but I still can't carry it...I think I can pull it though!
And our taxi was on it's way...fortunately with a strapping young guy with a fair command of English and a sense of humor because he was going to need it! We asked him to stop at the post office so we could mail off the two boxes and he looked a little oddly at us, but said OK and away we went. Bless his heart...he translated for us, got us the forms to fill out and finally they were done and gone...seems that postoffice doesn't usually do packages. Oh, and our wallet was about €150 lighter!
Train ride was lovely, cool, and featured beautiful scenery along the way.
Upon arrival at the train station those little angels were with us once again...the train was on the track closest to the station...no steps down, walk, up steps and over necessary...just hop on that train! Well, JM still had to hoist them up to stash them between cars, but he did that much more easily it seemed. Just maybe we'll make our weight limits to fly!
Once we were in sight of Florence we faced one more obstacle...Florence has more than one train station. We missed the first one and hoped it wasn't that one! And we got off at the second, much larger one. It seemed more central or at least in an older part of town. Then, bathroom and taxi in that order! The taxi line was very, very long, but there were many, many, many taxis and a method to all the madness. Two or three taxis were available to you when you were the first person in line...you could choose according to the number of passengers and luggage. Somehow it all works.
The funniest thing we saw was a very young petite woman, very well-dressed for a summer tea party and looking very happy but hassled, literally dragging five huge Prada shopping bags to the back of the taxi queue. She got no sympathy from onlookers!
Once checked in at the Hotel Orto De' Medici, we roamed and wandered and tried to orient ourselves. We were given two welcome drinks and used them around seven o'clock before heading out again for more of the same. We actually made up our own Night Walk based on some Rick Steves info I had stored on my iPad...and it worked. It helped us get to and from our hotel and to and from our next day destination...the River Arno. But we were tired puppies early and fell into beds quite late...tomorrow we meet Florence for real!
Quote: "A room without books is as a body without a soul." ... Cicero
And our taxi was on it's way...fortunately with a strapping young guy with a fair command of English and a sense of humor because he was going to need it! We asked him to stop at the post office so we could mail off the two boxes and he looked a little oddly at us, but said OK and away we went. Bless his heart...he translated for us, got us the forms to fill out and finally they were done and gone...seems that postoffice doesn't usually do packages. Oh, and our wallet was about €150 lighter!
Train ride was lovely, cool, and featured beautiful scenery along the way.
Upon arrival at the train station those little angels were with us once again...the train was on the track closest to the station...no steps down, walk, up steps and over necessary...just hop on that train! Well, JM still had to hoist them up to stash them between cars, but he did that much more easily it seemed. Just maybe we'll make our weight limits to fly!
Once we were in sight of Florence we faced one more obstacle...Florence has more than one train station. We missed the first one and hoped it wasn't that one! And we got off at the second, much larger one. It seemed more central or at least in an older part of town. Then, bathroom and taxi in that order! The taxi line was very, very long, but there were many, many, many taxis and a method to all the madness. Two or three taxis were available to you when you were the first person in line...you could choose according to the number of passengers and luggage. Somehow it all works.
The funniest thing we saw was a very young petite woman, very well-dressed for a summer tea party and looking very happy but hassled, literally dragging five huge Prada shopping bags to the back of the taxi queue. She got no sympathy from onlookers!
Once checked in at the Hotel Orto De' Medici, we roamed and wandered and tried to orient ourselves. We were given two welcome drinks and used them around seven o'clock before heading out again for more of the same. We actually made up our own Night Walk based on some Rick Steves info I had stored on my iPad...and it worked. It helped us get to and from our hotel and to and from our next day destination...the River Arno. But we were tired puppies early and fell into beds quite late...tomorrow we meet Florence for real!
Quote: "A room without books is as a body without a soul." ... Cicero
TUESDAY, JULY 2, 2013. ASSISI...HEAVEN AND A BAD SHOWER...
Oh yes, Assisi is what heaven should be like, and our shower in this lovely hotel deserves to be thrown out with the bath water. It is supposed to be an adjustable shower, but when you attempt to put it into its little loopy holder, it falls on your head...every time. If it happens to stay in its little metal loop holder for a moment or two, most of the water runs down the cold marble wall, meaning you have to hug the wall to get water on your body! And then it falls on your head anyway! It's just a bad shower, period.
So, this is day two in Assisi, and after fussing with showers we were off to see the Basilica of Saint Francis, a ten minute walk...all downhill. So, we did that and it is a gorgeous church with the sad story of Saint Francis, who was tortured and died a horrible death, becoming a martyr. There are quiet, reserved monks and brothers all over and they give tours of the huge facility while maintaining the dignity we didn't see in many other churches, even in Rome. After touring we stopped for a snack...pizza...and then trekked up the hills stopping here and there for a bit of shopping. And photo taking, of course.
This town is a shoppers little paradise...every little boutique is unique and very cute. Of course there are many religious articles, but also normal, utilitarian items done with artistic flair and creativity. We found a gentleman who was selling paintings of mothers and infants painted and lithographed in lovely fashion. It took a bit of conversation but I learned he is the artist and when I bought a few of his items he graciously signed them for me, and threw in an extra little painting, too. Later in the evening we met him on the street and he remembered us and greeted us. That's the kind of place Assisi is.
And the bakeries! Did I mention the bakeries. I posted a picture of the ULTIMATE LADYLOCK! Think LADYLOCK tube..now fill it with the thickest best filling you've ever tasted...vanilla and creamy. Stuff it full until it weighs a little bit shy of a pound! Then put a thick coating of chocolate...the best kind that hardens yet sticks to the tube! Then chill it slightly! AHHHHH....
It's yum beyond! And meringues...as big as a dinner plate...three euros...bigger? OK, big as a platter and drizzled with chocolate...six euros, please. And every kind of filled cookie and tart! And breads and rolls!
Yes, we love Assisi. And we leave tomorrow, but we have one more story...a dinner tale. We decided to have a late dinner and tried one spot, but left when we saw the menu choices and realized there was a large and very loud party in the very small space. So we moved to a lovely little outdoor courtyard at The Lantern restaurant. The menu had many nice choices and we settled in choosing to not have wine with our dinners. There were two families with young children seated near us in our area...and a few other groups farther back in the garden area. My seat faced the kitchen which had an open door and filmy long curtain to divide it from us. The waiters were coming and going in and out and we carried on our usual dinner conversation when all of a sudden there was a crash of dishes or kitchen equipment, then the entry door behind Jeff was slammed from the inside, and then a very loud "RIDICULOUS!." Then a slew of loud Italian....yelling...then more, louder Italian, and more loud Italian. And more of a very loud man's voice obviously yelling at someone in the kitchen, then a loud SLAM of something, a couple more loud banging noises and a halt to all conversation outside in our area. We had our food by then and everything was delicious...we had no complaint at all. The other families looked as shocked as we did and we just hoped everyone in the kitchen was still employed and alive! At best it was very AWKWARD. Our waiter maintained some composure, tho' not all of it...he sort of shook his head and indicated all was not well in the kitchen. We skipped dessert and quickly paid our bill and left right behind the other families.
Other than that incident, we loved Assisi.
So, this is day two in Assisi, and after fussing with showers we were off to see the Basilica of Saint Francis, a ten minute walk...all downhill. So, we did that and it is a gorgeous church with the sad story of Saint Francis, who was tortured and died a horrible death, becoming a martyr. There are quiet, reserved monks and brothers all over and they give tours of the huge facility while maintaining the dignity we didn't see in many other churches, even in Rome. After touring we stopped for a snack...pizza...and then trekked up the hills stopping here and there for a bit of shopping. And photo taking, of course.
This town is a shoppers little paradise...every little boutique is unique and very cute. Of course there are many religious articles, but also normal, utilitarian items done with artistic flair and creativity. We found a gentleman who was selling paintings of mothers and infants painted and lithographed in lovely fashion. It took a bit of conversation but I learned he is the artist and when I bought a few of his items he graciously signed them for me, and threw in an extra little painting, too. Later in the evening we met him on the street and he remembered us and greeted us. That's the kind of place Assisi is.
And the bakeries! Did I mention the bakeries. I posted a picture of the ULTIMATE LADYLOCK! Think LADYLOCK tube..now fill it with the thickest best filling you've ever tasted...vanilla and creamy. Stuff it full until it weighs a little bit shy of a pound! Then put a thick coating of chocolate...the best kind that hardens yet sticks to the tube! Then chill it slightly! AHHHHH....
It's yum beyond! And meringues...as big as a dinner plate...three euros...bigger? OK, big as a platter and drizzled with chocolate...six euros, please. And every kind of filled cookie and tart! And breads and rolls!
Yes, we love Assisi. And we leave tomorrow, but we have one more story...a dinner tale. We decided to have a late dinner and tried one spot, but left when we saw the menu choices and realized there was a large and very loud party in the very small space. So we moved to a lovely little outdoor courtyard at The Lantern restaurant. The menu had many nice choices and we settled in choosing to not have wine with our dinners. There were two families with young children seated near us in our area...and a few other groups farther back in the garden area. My seat faced the kitchen which had an open door and filmy long curtain to divide it from us. The waiters were coming and going in and out and we carried on our usual dinner conversation when all of a sudden there was a crash of dishes or kitchen equipment, then the entry door behind Jeff was slammed from the inside, and then a very loud "RIDICULOUS!." Then a slew of loud Italian....yelling...then more, louder Italian, and more loud Italian. And more of a very loud man's voice obviously yelling at someone in the kitchen, then a loud SLAM of something, a couple more loud banging noises and a halt to all conversation outside in our area. We had our food by then and everything was delicious...we had no complaint at all. The other families looked as shocked as we did and we just hoped everyone in the kitchen was still employed and alive! At best it was very AWKWARD. Our waiter maintained some composure, tho' not all of it...he sort of shook his head and indicated all was not well in the kitchen. We skipped dessert and quickly paid our bill and left right behind the other families.
Other than that incident, we loved Assisi.
MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013. TO ASSISI BY HOOK OR BY CROOK...OR BY TRAIN!
JM pre purchased our train tickets in Rome at the local Saint Peter's train station, very close to our hotel and I contacted our Assisi hotel to let them know that we would be arriving late because we had two tours booked...one Saint Peter's and the Sistine Chapel, and the other was independent tickets to the Vatican Museums. We headed out early Monday morning, met our group across the street from the walls of the Vatican, and worked our way to the entrance to the Vatican Museums. There were hundreds and hundreds of people in lines that went all the way to Saint Peter's Square...a very long distance. Our heads were spinning knowing that we would be in those lines after lunch with our other tour tickets. It was a very hot morning already, at 8:00 and the thought wasn't a good one. We talked and decided to reserve judgement until after tour number one.
Finally we were in, having bypassed almost all the people waiting in line, although we still had to clear security, ticket purchase by our guide, and a bathroom stop for all. If I had one bit of advice, and I think Daniel told me the same thing, "If you go to the Vatican, book a tour to skip the awful lines!" And we started...up, up, up, a big bunch of stairs! Almost as many as up to the Acropolis!
All the galleries were filled with tour groups and were very crowded and this was early on a Monday morning. We were told to keep moving along and through each gallery and we had headsets to hear our guide. I'm sure that with so many guides, the noise level really could get high with all of them trying to make themselves heard, but those cheesy little earphones kept falling out of my ears. JM, fortunately was looking out for me with a set of much better ones that hook over the ears...those worked so much better.
When all was said and done, we saw all the things we wanted to see in the three or four hours and decided to forfeit our independent non-transferable tickets for the afternoon in favor of an earlier getaway to Assisi. Sad but true.
So, we ate our packed focaccia sandwiches at the colonnade in Saint Peter's and said good- bye to Rome. We retrieved our luggage, dragged it a block to the taxi stand, and took it on faith that we'd be able to use our late tickets for an earlier train. We did. With all those angels and saints watching over us, we dragged our heavy stuff about a mile in the heat of the day to the train...JM had to bail me out when I just couldn't manage mine anymore and started looking for a heart specialist or defibrillator instead of the Assisi train. It was a most awful time and the worst part was that JM was upset...with me, 'cause I just couldn't do it. I did my best...
Fortunately he booked us first class...the sweetie knows how to treat Mom...which was air conditioned and not too crowded and once our breathing and colors returned to normal, we knew we'd be OK.
As we got off the train in Assisi, we realized that to get to the station, and the necessary taxi, we had to take our luggage, down about 15 steps, walk a bit, then take them up about 15 steps...to go under the tracks and up again. So, although I tried, I couldn't do it, I took the lightest bags and bless his heart, JM sweated the rest of them down, over and up. We vowed to throw stuff out and send more home if we had to, to get them manageable.
So, once in our room, I turned him loose and told him to go explore while I got myself a little rest and water. When he returned about an hour later, he was all huge smiles and said, "Mom, this is the most beautiful place I've ever seen!" My heart skipped and I knew we were OK again. But I also knew I would have to dump stuff and better help carry our load.
Our hotel is in the middle of the town, up high on the hill...surrounded by ancient trees, churches, chapels and serenaded by birds every minute. The little shops are darling and every one is different. Artists, calligraphers, booksellers, ceramic artists, and musicians, share this art minded town, giving it a very unique, serene atmosphere. We have about a ten minute walk downhill to the Basilica of St Francis and about ten minutes uphill the other way are piazzas and parks and more restaurants and shops.
Our hotel is being called home by a Rick Steve's tour of Italy. These folks are from USA and are finishing a 13 day Italy tour. They will be here tomorrow and then leave for Rome to finish. So, we figure, if it's good enough for Rick Steves, it's probably good enough for us. In fact, it is an adorable, flower and art-filled place. Perhaps it was a large home or retreat in its former life, but it is just a beautiful small boutique hotel in this one! Plus the staff is very welcoming and friendly and helpful, too. There is a lovely patio area surrounded by viney things and fragrant flowers and we had dinner that night after exploring our new neighborhood. Our meal and wine was very nicely prepared and delicious. Dessert? Hah! Gelato!
In the end, our rough day turned beautiful and it must be all those angels and saints again. I think they have followed us. What a precious time to pause and reflect and rest. Peace and good. All will be well.
Finally we were in, having bypassed almost all the people waiting in line, although we still had to clear security, ticket purchase by our guide, and a bathroom stop for all. If I had one bit of advice, and I think Daniel told me the same thing, "If you go to the Vatican, book a tour to skip the awful lines!" And we started...up, up, up, a big bunch of stairs! Almost as many as up to the Acropolis!
All the galleries were filled with tour groups and were very crowded and this was early on a Monday morning. We were told to keep moving along and through each gallery and we had headsets to hear our guide. I'm sure that with so many guides, the noise level really could get high with all of them trying to make themselves heard, but those cheesy little earphones kept falling out of my ears. JM, fortunately was looking out for me with a set of much better ones that hook over the ears...those worked so much better.
When all was said and done, we saw all the things we wanted to see in the three or four hours and decided to forfeit our independent non-transferable tickets for the afternoon in favor of an earlier getaway to Assisi. Sad but true.
So, we ate our packed focaccia sandwiches at the colonnade in Saint Peter's and said good- bye to Rome. We retrieved our luggage, dragged it a block to the taxi stand, and took it on faith that we'd be able to use our late tickets for an earlier train. We did. With all those angels and saints watching over us, we dragged our heavy stuff about a mile in the heat of the day to the train...JM had to bail me out when I just couldn't manage mine anymore and started looking for a heart specialist or defibrillator instead of the Assisi train. It was a most awful time and the worst part was that JM was upset...with me, 'cause I just couldn't do it. I did my best...
Fortunately he booked us first class...the sweetie knows how to treat Mom...which was air conditioned and not too crowded and once our breathing and colors returned to normal, we knew we'd be OK.
As we got off the train in Assisi, we realized that to get to the station, and the necessary taxi, we had to take our luggage, down about 15 steps, walk a bit, then take them up about 15 steps...to go under the tracks and up again. So, although I tried, I couldn't do it, I took the lightest bags and bless his heart, JM sweated the rest of them down, over and up. We vowed to throw stuff out and send more home if we had to, to get them manageable.
So, once in our room, I turned him loose and told him to go explore while I got myself a little rest and water. When he returned about an hour later, he was all huge smiles and said, "Mom, this is the most beautiful place I've ever seen!" My heart skipped and I knew we were OK again. But I also knew I would have to dump stuff and better help carry our load.
Our hotel is in the middle of the town, up high on the hill...surrounded by ancient trees, churches, chapels and serenaded by birds every minute. The little shops are darling and every one is different. Artists, calligraphers, booksellers, ceramic artists, and musicians, share this art minded town, giving it a very unique, serene atmosphere. We have about a ten minute walk downhill to the Basilica of St Francis and about ten minutes uphill the other way are piazzas and parks and more restaurants and shops.
Our hotel is being called home by a Rick Steve's tour of Italy. These folks are from USA and are finishing a 13 day Italy tour. They will be here tomorrow and then leave for Rome to finish. So, we figure, if it's good enough for Rick Steves, it's probably good enough for us. In fact, it is an adorable, flower and art-filled place. Perhaps it was a large home or retreat in its former life, but it is just a beautiful small boutique hotel in this one! Plus the staff is very welcoming and friendly and helpful, too. There is a lovely patio area surrounded by viney things and fragrant flowers and we had dinner that night after exploring our new neighborhood. Our meal and wine was very nicely prepared and delicious. Dessert? Hah! Gelato!
In the end, our rough day turned beautiful and it must be all those angels and saints again. I think they have followed us. What a precious time to pause and reflect and rest. Peace and good. All will be well.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2013. Roaming Rome...
Sunday dawned as pretty a day as the day before and J Michael, who was itching to get more photos taken, took off to roam Rome especially the Pantheon. I stayed behind to give my poor knees a rest before we embarked on our mid afternoon Imperial Rome tour. All of our tours in Rome and Florence are through www.selectitaly.com at Dan and Angela's suggestion. They toured Italy a couple of years ago and loved the tours they took; the company got highest marks from Travel and Leisure magazine too. So, we are anxious to start these and see how they compare with all the excursions we took while on Sea Princess. It's a high bar, in some case ...in others, well, if they dumped us in the middle of Rome and gave us a compass and a good luck rabbit foot, it would come close to the guides we couldn't understand or who droned on and on and on and on and....
So off JM went. While I was catching up on email and blogging, I heard a loud voice coming through the open shutters...it was Papa Francesco again addressing the crowds in Saint Peter's Square at noon! What a surprise. It was inspiring to hear again the enthusiasm in his voice and the happy energetic inflections as he spoke. As awesome was the crowd's response. "Papa Francesco, Papa Francesco!!!" Over and over and over again.
We headed off later to meet the guide for our tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Forum. After a few false starts, we did find Mario and 11 other happy campers and headed off to wander some more old, crumbly buildings. It was a very hot afternoon, as usual, with many, many steps, as usual, but I managed to keep up with the troops.
Our group was primarily Americans from Indiana, and Texas, among other states. Mario did a good job, but the early part was confusing because Select Italy wasn't mentioned, something called Gardtour was the logo...it must be contracted out to do tours in some places. It was a very beautiful combination of sights and sounds and we heard him say that Rome is better than Florence, because Rome and Assisi are built in the hills they are always breezy and pleasant, while Florence is in a valley and is always hot. Great! We head to the hot valley in three days!
We ended up in another huge and beautiful piazza, (I think it was called Piazza Florentine) and I sat on a marble step to listen to an older gentleman play classical guitar, while JM wandered back to our starting point to get a better photo of the Colosseum. I just saw it and walked it and didn't need to do it again. So I settled myself with beautiful music, a lovely breeze, a cast of characters parading in front of me and a secure feeling of all's right with my world. I applauded after every selection, sometimes the only applaud-er. When JM returned we listened to another beautiful selection, applauded, I fished out a five euro note and deposited it into the guitarist's case and he promptly said "no". I said, "Yes, and grazie, your music was lovely", and he handed me one of his CD's. I graciously accepted it with more thanks and we headed on our way back across town.
We stopped for dinner at another outdoor cafe, followed by dessert gelato...what else? And tomorrow, we leave for Assisi and Part Two of our Italy Adventure.
Here are a few pictures of our first Italy guided tour and the beautiful piazza.
So off JM went. While I was catching up on email and blogging, I heard a loud voice coming through the open shutters...it was Papa Francesco again addressing the crowds in Saint Peter's Square at noon! What a surprise. It was inspiring to hear again the enthusiasm in his voice and the happy energetic inflections as he spoke. As awesome was the crowd's response. "Papa Francesco, Papa Francesco!!!" Over and over and over again.
We headed off later to meet the guide for our tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Forum. After a few false starts, we did find Mario and 11 other happy campers and headed off to wander some more old, crumbly buildings. It was a very hot afternoon, as usual, with many, many steps, as usual, but I managed to keep up with the troops.
Our group was primarily Americans from Indiana, and Texas, among other states. Mario did a good job, but the early part was confusing because Select Italy wasn't mentioned, something called Gardtour was the logo...it must be contracted out to do tours in some places. It was a very beautiful combination of sights and sounds and we heard him say that Rome is better than Florence, because Rome and Assisi are built in the hills they are always breezy and pleasant, while Florence is in a valley and is always hot. Great! We head to the hot valley in three days!
We ended up in another huge and beautiful piazza, (I think it was called Piazza Florentine) and I sat on a marble step to listen to an older gentleman play classical guitar, while JM wandered back to our starting point to get a better photo of the Colosseum. I just saw it and walked it and didn't need to do it again. So I settled myself with beautiful music, a lovely breeze, a cast of characters parading in front of me and a secure feeling of all's right with my world. I applauded after every selection, sometimes the only applaud-er. When JM returned we listened to another beautiful selection, applauded, I fished out a five euro note and deposited it into the guitarist's case and he promptly said "no". I said, "Yes, and grazie, your music was lovely", and he handed me one of his CD's. I graciously accepted it with more thanks and we headed on our way back across town.
We stopped for dinner at another outdoor cafe, followed by dessert gelato...what else? And tomorrow, we leave for Assisi and Part Two of our Italy Adventure.
Here are a few pictures of our first Italy guided tour and the beautiful piazza.
Monday, July 1, 2013
SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013. The Italian Adventure continues...
Saturday dawned early, bright and beautiful and Maria was here to make us our breakfast: coffee, yogurt, pomegranate juice, and Italian pastries...also ham,salami, and cheese on focaccia breads to go with us for lunch. Very nice plan. We had no tours and looked forward to roaming around Rome for the day.
As we started to eat, the French couple rushed out and said in a mixture of Italian, English, and French..."Papa Francesco is at Saint Peters square...now. Everyone is going there." So, we hurriedly gathered our stuff together and headed in that direction, only to be met by more and more people going the same way. There was a sense of expectancy and excitement. This was just shortly after ten o'clock.
It's only a five minute or less walk to the square from our B&B, which, by the way is really a three bedroom lockout-type apartment with a common small eating area, but no lounge or sitting room. Each bedroom has its own bath with small shower, nicely done but minimal.
To continue...we arrived at the colonnade area and got in the security check line which funneled us into the huge piazza which seemed to be subdivided into a sitting area and farther back, a standing area. We squeezed into the sitting area and as we walked closer and closer to the front we realized that most of the seats were available. We really had no clue what was happening or where. Once we sat, right in the center facing St. Peter's on the aisle about six rows from the fence, we heard the Pope speaking and very close to our left was a large TV screen showing the Holy Father saying Mass...early on. People watching were divided - some were participating and some were just watching, TV like.
I tried to figure out if this was live or not and said to JM, "I don't think this is real. I think this is a rerun of an older Mass, maybe Pentecost or his first Mass after becoming Pope." A little while later, JM said, "Are they going to edit out Communion...there are a lot of people in there!" And then I said, "It's not real, because there are lots of Cardinals in there and if he's leaving tomorrow for the summer, they wouldn't come all that way".
We proceeded to watch and look around for more clues to what might be going on. Some people stood and kneeled, repeatedly and said the right responses as if they were participating! It was very strange because there were only about three or four people in the rows in front of us, and not many at all behind us. Most people were sort of in front of the TV screen. And there were people milling around the perimeter as well as around the entrances to Saint Peter's. at one point JM said,"I really don't want to sit here for two hours and wait for him to appear at the window...and he might not!" But still we sat.
Suddenly, out from the front doors came two very long lines of priests with ciborium ready to distribute Communion! We were flabbergasted and flummoxed to say the least! We started paying closer attention, for sure! And we moved closer...to the first row. People got in lines, sort of, and the priests fanned out on the other side of the fence to give Communion to the people in our sitting area. We were very humbled by that experience, to say the least. We expected nothing more, but after Mass ended, the crowds didn't disperse, but seemed to move toward the right hand side of the piazza, or closer to the Pope's apartment...and we noticed the window had a cloth hanging from it making it different from the other windows.
We waited while Saint Peter's emptied out, then we moved to our left, past the TV screen, and out through the colonnade near where we had entered. It was about 11:30-11:45. At noon, sure enough, Pope Francis appeared at his window and an enthusiastic crowd greeted him with applause and Italian wishes. He spoke for about 10 minutes or so with great feeling in his voice and sounded very hearty with his expressions. He asked everyone to pray with him and we did, and then he gave his blessing to all of us and talked a little bit more. I don't know what he said, but it sounded very friendly and very familiar.
I've posted a couple of photos from that very special time. Now, I realize it wasn't a private audience or a face to face one on one meeting, but to us, because it was so very unexpected...was so very meaningful. The frustrations we had had the day before had gone away and we were beginning our love affair with Rome.
Would the rest of the day match our morning? Well, we wandered the streets, taking hundreds of photos and stopped for a late dinner in one of the thousand eateries. We liked this one because it looked out on a quiet, old corner of buildings and wasn't jammed with noisy folks, but a few older groups who were eating and drinking with gusto! After dinner, we hurried toward the river and Castle area for fireworks set to begin at 9:30. We could hear very well the first of the noisy explosions as the sound bounced off the narrow cobblestone walkways and marble and stone buildings. And the crowds were growing much heavier the closer we got to the river.
But there was a problem...there wasn't enough room for all the people and the outdoor cafes weren't very happy trying to deliver dinner to diners swamped by this enormous crowd. At one point, we just couldn't move forward any more and the crowd started getting stupid...pushing and trying to get through even though it was not possible. I was behind JM and I felt that awful feeling of anxiety and that I HAD to get some breathing space...and there just wasn't any. I tapped his shoulder and tried to tell him I needed to get some space and he let me slide in front of him and then he spaced himself behind me but with some moving room. The display ended soon and we tried to continue forward but that wasn't possible. A stream of people had started going back and we joined in staying right close to the buildings for some space. JM guided us to a place where the human traffic was less and I was soon able to breathe like a normal person again.
That was pretty awful and reminded me of the bad experience in Kuala Lumpur at the KL Tower. I wrote about that earlier and when your anti anxiety med is back at the ranch...well, you muddle through the best you can. To end the evening we didn't need to get a taxi, as the adrenalin enabled me to walk another mile or so. We then tried gelato, ending the day with a resounding, "YUM"! It was a day to remember!
As we started to eat, the French couple rushed out and said in a mixture of Italian, English, and French..."Papa Francesco is at Saint Peters square...now. Everyone is going there." So, we hurriedly gathered our stuff together and headed in that direction, only to be met by more and more people going the same way. There was a sense of expectancy and excitement. This was just shortly after ten o'clock.
It's only a five minute or less walk to the square from our B&B, which, by the way is really a three bedroom lockout-type apartment with a common small eating area, but no lounge or sitting room. Each bedroom has its own bath with small shower, nicely done but minimal.
To continue...we arrived at the colonnade area and got in the security check line which funneled us into the huge piazza which seemed to be subdivided into a sitting area and farther back, a standing area. We squeezed into the sitting area and as we walked closer and closer to the front we realized that most of the seats were available. We really had no clue what was happening or where. Once we sat, right in the center facing St. Peter's on the aisle about six rows from the fence, we heard the Pope speaking and very close to our left was a large TV screen showing the Holy Father saying Mass...early on. People watching were divided - some were participating and some were just watching, TV like.
I tried to figure out if this was live or not and said to JM, "I don't think this is real. I think this is a rerun of an older Mass, maybe Pentecost or his first Mass after becoming Pope." A little while later, JM said, "Are they going to edit out Communion...there are a lot of people in there!" And then I said, "It's not real, because there are lots of Cardinals in there and if he's leaving tomorrow for the summer, they wouldn't come all that way".
We proceeded to watch and look around for more clues to what might be going on. Some people stood and kneeled, repeatedly and said the right responses as if they were participating! It was very strange because there were only about three or four people in the rows in front of us, and not many at all behind us. Most people were sort of in front of the TV screen. And there were people milling around the perimeter as well as around the entrances to Saint Peter's. at one point JM said,"I really don't want to sit here for two hours and wait for him to appear at the window...and he might not!" But still we sat.
Suddenly, out from the front doors came two very long lines of priests with ciborium ready to distribute Communion! We were flabbergasted and flummoxed to say the least! We started paying closer attention, for sure! And we moved closer...to the first row. People got in lines, sort of, and the priests fanned out on the other side of the fence to give Communion to the people in our sitting area. We were very humbled by that experience, to say the least. We expected nothing more, but after Mass ended, the crowds didn't disperse, but seemed to move toward the right hand side of the piazza, or closer to the Pope's apartment...and we noticed the window had a cloth hanging from it making it different from the other windows.
We waited while Saint Peter's emptied out, then we moved to our left, past the TV screen, and out through the colonnade near where we had entered. It was about 11:30-11:45. At noon, sure enough, Pope Francis appeared at his window and an enthusiastic crowd greeted him with applause and Italian wishes. He spoke for about 10 minutes or so with great feeling in his voice and sounded very hearty with his expressions. He asked everyone to pray with him and we did, and then he gave his blessing to all of us and talked a little bit more. I don't know what he said, but it sounded very friendly and very familiar.
I've posted a couple of photos from that very special time. Now, I realize it wasn't a private audience or a face to face one on one meeting, but to us, because it was so very unexpected...was so very meaningful. The frustrations we had had the day before had gone away and we were beginning our love affair with Rome.
Would the rest of the day match our morning? Well, we wandered the streets, taking hundreds of photos and stopped for a late dinner in one of the thousand eateries. We liked this one because it looked out on a quiet, old corner of buildings and wasn't jammed with noisy folks, but a few older groups who were eating and drinking with gusto! After dinner, we hurried toward the river and Castle area for fireworks set to begin at 9:30. We could hear very well the first of the noisy explosions as the sound bounced off the narrow cobblestone walkways and marble and stone buildings. And the crowds were growing much heavier the closer we got to the river.
But there was a problem...there wasn't enough room for all the people and the outdoor cafes weren't very happy trying to deliver dinner to diners swamped by this enormous crowd. At one point, we just couldn't move forward any more and the crowd started getting stupid...pushing and trying to get through even though it was not possible. I was behind JM and I felt that awful feeling of anxiety and that I HAD to get some breathing space...and there just wasn't any. I tapped his shoulder and tried to tell him I needed to get some space and he let me slide in front of him and then he spaced himself behind me but with some moving room. The display ended soon and we tried to continue forward but that wasn't possible. A stream of people had started going back and we joined in staying right close to the buildings for some space. JM guided us to a place where the human traffic was less and I was soon able to breathe like a normal person again.
That was pretty awful and reminded me of the bad experience in Kuala Lumpur at the KL Tower. I wrote about that earlier and when your anti anxiety med is back at the ranch...well, you muddle through the best you can. To end the evening we didn't need to get a taxi, as the adrenalin enabled me to walk another mile or so. We then tried gelato, ending the day with a resounding, "YUM"! It was a day to remember!
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